Tybura grinds out unanimous decision win over Arlovski
It wasn't pretty, but Marcin Tybura added a former UFC champion's scalp to his collection on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Polish heavyweight rode his grappling to a unanimous decision win over Andrei Arlovski in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 111 in Kallang, Singapore.
#UFCSingapore@MarcinTybura derrotou Andrei Arlovski por UD (29-28, 28-27, 29-27)#UFCNoCombate pic.twitter.com/TlzKSAWgdw
— Vicio MMA (@VicioMMA) June 17, 2017
With the loss, Arlovski has now dropped five straight fights. Unlike his last four, this one went to the scorecards, which is probably little consolation for "The Pit Bull." Prior to this rough stretch, Arlovski had actually won four consecutive UFC fights, but the 38-year-old now finds himself well out of the contender's circle.
It wasn't all bad for Arlovski, as he survived being mounted by Tybura in Round 1 to close with a flurry. For a moment, it looked like Arlovski would make Tybura his next knockout victim:
STRONG end of round for @AndreiArlovski!!#UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/HYRDJaiErZ
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) June 17, 2017
Unfortunately for Arlovski, that likely wasn't enough to win a round that he spent mostly on his back. He fared much better in Round 2, using his own wrestling acumen to keep Tybura wrapped up against the fence. Heading into the final round, the fight appeared to be up for grabs.
Tybura took control with a big takedown two minutes into Round 3, and from there Arlovski was unable to improve his position. With both men exhausted, Tybura's top control was more than enough to ensure that he would end up on the winning end of the scorecards.
Already ranked No. 13, Tybura pushes himself closer to the top 10 by getting past Arlovski. He has won three straight fights and his professional record now stands at 16-2.